The how, what, and why of using promotional clothing and novelties

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The athleisure clothing style continues to increase in popularity. No age group is exempt from this newer and fashionable look. Consumers want comfort but they want to look good too.

The athleisure style has become a staple for everyone. Look around and you’ll notice yoga style pants, hoodie jackets and a variety of other athleisure choices in about any store, restaurant and event. Companies have increased the color options, styles and even the fabrics to tap into this growing clothes phenomena.

Athleisure is an everyday wear type of attire that is casual but trendy. Comfort is essential to consumers and this style fits that perfectly. These days you see people shopping, going out on a date and even heading to work wearing athleisure clothes. We’ve seen an increase of acceptability over time and it’s just become an absolutely popular trend.

Polyester is essential when it comes to athletic wear. This trendy style, athleisure, is no exception to this rule. Often a polyester blend is used to make these articles of clothes because it provides a moisture-wicking quality that works well as athletes compete or exercise.

With the rise of athleisure clothing, manufacturers have said that customers simply like the poly fabric feel. They are making products that lack the wicking and antimicrobial properties. The style is so popular that people will buy it and simply wear it for a variety of occasions.

Future trends show that athleisure clothing will continue to become more accepted and embraced. Unless you are working in some business like a law office, you’ll be noticing more of this casual style of dress. There are several pieces that look a bit more dressed up.

In 2017, we will see popularity and interest increase for soft, light fabrics. Bright colors are in now and will most likely continue to be the most preferred with athleisure products.

Fashion is quite cyclical when it comes to different styles and trends. Manufacturers see athleisure both on the rise and here to stay for some time to come. Talk about a great product and style that is attractive, comfortable and widely accepted.

When it comes to clothing, consumers want to look good and feel comfortable at the same time. One type of apparel that’s become quite popular is sports apparel known as “athleisure” clothing. Technological advances in fabric have helped with this concept and the industry trend is on the rise for this type of everyday wear.

The idea of wearing your workout clothes for typical dress wear may be new to some. However, take a glance around the grocery store, local coffee shop and gas station where you’ll notice what’s called athleisure style clothing everywhere.

The athleisure look includes a variety of styles and often has some sort of polyester in the fabric. The reason for poly is because the clothing will hang and drape well, has wicking capability and makes the garment more lightweight.

Popular athleisure styles include:

Yoga style pants

Light poly jackets

Hoodies

Jogging pants

These days, athleisure attire is becoming more acceptable at the office, on a date and for weekend activity. The market is booming with trendy, fresh product lines by Adidas, Nike or Under Armour that come in all styles and colors. Consumers love choices and athleisure clothing allows them plenty of options.

There are three trends to note when it comes to athleisure products.

Decoration

Embellishing athleisure clothing has become popular. While the decoration makes the wearables more expensive, people are often willing to pay the increase in price. Some companies are able to help the mark up because they create clothes and sell directly to decorators and then retail stores.

Quarter-zips

Regardless of the type of clothing, quarter-zips have become most popular style wise. You’ll notice hoodies, poly-fleece pull overs and even shorts with quarter-zips. This style is in and seems to be quite versatile.

Bright colors

Not only do consumers want soft, comfortable fabric but they want plentiful color options too. Bright and bold colors are extremely popular when it comes to the athleisure style.

The athleisure look is quite prevalent and well accepted. Consumers find these wearables to be comfortable, colorful and attractive. New styles continue to come on the market and this trend is most likely to be around for quite some time.

Not long ago I attended a networking event with a mixed group of business people. We each were given two minutes to give an “infomercial” about what we did and how it could help.

Informatively, Embellished Images by CSDI, specializes in Creative Solutions for Dynamic Identities. We have been operating since 1997 and serve businesses, organizations, and individuals worldwide.

One of the attendees, a new owner of a national franchise that specializes in direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, proudly introduced his services and proceeded to say that “embroidery was old-school and out” and claimed that his printing process was the replacement.

Internally, I thought about his lack of professionalism and the damage this person does to our industry and him.

My next thought was to fight back. However, the more reserved and cautious side of me prevailed and I decided that I could use this experience to help you.

Direct-to-garment printing is a process that uses an inkjet printer to print directly to a cotton garment. . It’s great for small runs with lots of color but does fade with washings. Embellished Images by CSDI adopted the process when the technology was in its infancy.

So your kid needs a couple of tees for a birthday party or school event; maybe the office is having a small get together; or the family is having a reunion, a direct-to-garment printed tee-shirt just might be the answer. Small runs, lots of colors, customized to your needs, and relatively quick production times are the key attributes.

Obviously, DTG print has its place in decorated wearables.

Today’s, embroidery is done by programming an industrial sewing machine with an application that tells the machine where to sew and what color to use. The basic process dates back to the 5th-3rd century BC. There are some limitations to fabrics but you have many more than just one.

Could you image the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company wearing a printed shirt to his next board of directors meeting? Maybe have his initials printed on his shirt cuffs or pocket; or how about his initials printed on the inside of his $1000 sport jacket! How about the waiter in a 5 star restaurant wearing printed shirts?

The point is: Each type of decoration has a message of its own. The message behind DTG is fast, fun, joyful, and cost-effective and sometimes, even cheap; whereas, embroidery says professional, sophisticated, stylish, quality, and longevity, just to stay a few.

Is embroidery dead? No. Our corporate clients request every day. We see nothing that indicates the process is dying.

Is DTG here to stay? Probably. It appears that the technology could be on track to replace traditional screen printing in the years ahead.

Does the “other guy” know what he was talking about? (I’ll leave that up to you.)

Performance apparel is one of the fastest growing sectors of today’s garment industry.

What is performance apparel?

These are garments that perform with a purpose. They help athletes and active people keep cool, comfortable, and dry through managing moisture.

Polyester fabric has become the fabric of choice by many of the manufactures as it can be engineered to wick moisture away from the body. In its simplest form, Polyester is plastic. The same material used in making beverage bottles.

So how do you embellish plastic?

Screen printing is one option. But when you place ink on a water wicking shirt you terminate the breathability of the garment. All of the sudden, you’re drenched in sweat!

Embroidery is a common choice by the corporate community. They are looking for style, fashion, and notoriety. The problem with embroidery can be the puckering effect. Many embroiders treat polyester the same as cotton and are not making the necessary changes to their sewing process.

A relatively new alternative is laser etching. Laser etching uses a light beam to peel back microscopic layers of the fabric to create a permanent toned-down marking. Some of our clients like to refer to it as a tattoo effect. The water wicking stays intact; now you are wearing cool and innovative clothing without the billboard effect.